So Now What?
by theYellowDello
Summary: They care for each other, but who knows where this is going?  Ariadne certainly doesn't.
1. Intro

He didn't seem all that upset. His concern seemed to mainly reflect the terror and anxiety on her face.

Blood dripped down her side as Arthur continued to lean on her for support. He looked so pale.

It frightened her terribly.

Ariadne pulled Arthur into a deserted alley, and they both slid down to the ground. Ariadne sat as close to him as she could without being on his lap, doing her best to hold him upright.

"We need to get you to a hospital."

Arthur shook his head at that. His hair had slipped out of it's perfect gelled form sometime during the action and a few strands fell across a damp forehead.

"No. They'll look for us there. I'll be fine if we can just get somewhere where I can rest."

His feverish complexion was not very assuring, and his eyes began to droop. Ariadne did her best to hold in the onsetting panic. It helped if she kept her focus away from the crimson contusion that was his shoulder.

"Hey. Hey, look at me," she told him, staring into his face. "You're okay. You're going to be fine. I'm going to get us out of here."

Arthur only reaction was to reach up and put his hand on her cheek. She placed hers on top of his, and it was like ice.

* * *

_Hello fellows. _

_I've added a pre-chapter teaser right here, as you can see. I've been writing a ton lately, but not in any order, so it's taking me a while to get the next chapter up. Sorry about that._

_Meanwhile, here's a hint of where this story might be going. Cheers._

_- theYellowDello_


	2. Chapter 1

The Inception was finally over.

After settling into a modest hotel, an exhausted Ariadne wanted nothing more than to catch some well-earned shut-eye. The problem was, she couldn't get her head to shut up.

Ariadne was confused, despite her brilliant mind.

She had not noticed any particular affection on Arthur's side that would explain his sudden kiss, and she was having a difficult time knowing what to make of it. He liked her, but since when? And how much did he like her? He was a such a serious individual, she doubted he would kiss anyone in jest. It must be somewhat serious.

She didn't understand him at all.

The problem was, she hadn't payed him a whole lot of attention before. She had been so focused, she hadn't paid anyone a whole lot of attention. She enjoyed Arthur's company, his friendly and reliable and ever so steady presence. He was witty, clever, intelligent; his stunt with the elevator proved him to be quick thinking and agile, although she had already suspected him of those traits. She admired his drive, his collectedness, his careful personality. He never looked confused, always knew more than anyone––even Cobb––about what was going on. She had noticed all these things about him, but as a fleeting thought, further proof that Arthur was just as perfect as he seemed upon first glance. Of course he was perfect: he was the Point Man. Perfection was his job.

Nothing that she knew about him explained the kiss, so small and insignificant that it hardly counted. But it got her thinking. Perhaps that was his intention.

Arthur did not muck around with anyone's feelings, least of all his own. He did nothing on accident. He did nothing spontaneously, but he was decisive. She could only conclude that he had meant it. He had wanted to kiss her, and so he did. Yes, that fit the Arthur she knew.

So now what? He wanted to kiss her; that was fine. Did he want anything more? Did _she_ want anything more? Or even more confusing, did she want him to want anything more?

This is where Ariadne got stuck. He could have kissed for any reason: he thought she was attractive, or maybe he wanted to see how she would react. Maybe it really was spontaneous, a sort of joke just to lighten the tension. Maybe all of the above. The fact is, after the kiss, he went back to treating her the way he always had––with professional consideration.

She didn't know what to make of it, and so she decided not to worry about it anymore. She didn't care. What happened, happened. She didn't have enough information to reach a logical conclusion, so she left it alone for a later day. Sleep came quickly after that.


	3. Chapter 2

Okay, so maybe she was wrong.

As Ariadne packed up her suitcase in the morning-ready to catch a flight back to Paris-she came to the truth. But it had been worth lying to herself in order to get a little rest.

Arthur liked her and she knew it. She had been pushing it to the back of her head, subconciously ignoring it because she was so busy and had no time for such things. Now that she thought long and hard about it, she realized that she'd been aware of it the whole time.

It was the little things. The fact that his consideration for her welfare was ever-so-slightly more than it should have been. After lightly kissing her, she saw his practiced nonchalance come into play, covering any other sort of emotion, but throughout the rest of the mission she noticed his wary eyes on her, gauging her reaction to him. He was very sneaky about it, but Ariadne knew he cared how she felt about him.

A sudden unannounced memory of Arthur's expression as they dragged themselves out of the sinking van and onto the shore flitting through her mind. He had been worried about her, even though she was right next to him and Cobb and Saito's bodies were drowning in the bottom of the ocean.

Well, there was nothing she could do now. After arriving home in Paris she was going back to school to finish her degree. No more illegal venture for her, at least not for a while. She wouldn't see him anymore as far as she knew.

The coming weeks were a little difficult. She had a hard time getting back into her homework routine, and class was considerably more dull after spending days creating worlds and escaping projections with the team. Professor Miles was gone for a half a month, presumably visiting Dom and his grandchildren. Things were boring but not that different. Her classmates treated her with admiration and some jealousy when they found out she had been hired to design for an actual corporation. Her two roommates, with whom she had always been on good terms, were rather curious as to her work, but gave up their questioning when they got nothing more than vague explanations of what she'd been up to the past weeks. Her roommate Carly was a bit more observant, as well as nosy, not that Ariadne could grudge her for that. Ariadne came back to her apartment very late one night (it was nearly two in the morning) to find that Carly had waited up for her with a black-and-white movie and a bowl of microwave popcorn.

"You seem more distant than usual," Carly remarked, eyeing her carefully while handing her the popcorn. "You've barely said two whole sentences to Deirdre and me since Monday."

Surprised by this line of inquiry, Ariadne sat down to untie her sneakers and tried to remember that last time they had properly spoken. Carly was right; it had been much longer than was socially acceptable.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize. I've been so busy trying to catch up after my job," said Ariadne.

"You were caught up three days after you got back and you know it," Carly told her, "Is there something going on?"

"Nothing. Really. Just school as usual," she replied. Had she really been acting that strange?

"Didi and I were wondering if you'd met someone," Carly said.

Huh? Since when did being distant and quiet imply a relationship?

"Nothing's different. I guess I've just had a lot to think about lately." She knew Carly wasn't going to just accept that.

"So you haven't found some guy?" Carly asked dubiously.

Ariadne munched on some popcorn before answering.

"Nope. It's just me."

"Well, you're pining away over something," Carly said. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"There's not much to say. I guess I sort of miss my job. I miss...my colleagues. It's been strange coming to to school. That's all."

"Any particular colleague?"

Jeez, what was this? Twenty questions? Ariadne was about to refute this line of inquiry when Carly jumped on the pause.

"You blushed! There is guy! What's his name? Is he hot? How old is he? How long have you been dating?" The questions flooded out.

"Hold it! You've got a bit of an overactive imagination there. I never said anything about a guy," Ariadne cut in. What is it with Carly and needed to know everything about her personal life?

"But there is one," Carly squealed. "Just wait until I tell Deirdre!" And off she ran.

Ariadne sighed. She was never going to hear the end of this one. As she got ready for bed, she tried not to imaging the out-pour of questions waiting for her in the morning.


	4. Chapter 3

He wasn't worried about her. Arthur knew Ariadne was completely capable of handling herself, and so he didn't worry. He knew she would be alright; she had been before the job and she would be now. He just wished he could make sure. Besides, he kind of missed her.

When he walked out of the airport after the inception, he pushed back the impulse to check up on her; if Fischer saw them together, it might trigger his memory, and that would be dangerous for her. Besides, they always split up the team for a few months after a job, just to be safe. In fact, they might be permanently split without Cobb. Eames was never much of a team player, only joining in on the more lucrative ventures. The only two people consistently on the team were he and Dom, and he doubted he would get a lot of offers on his own. No matter. He had enough money to last him five lifetimes if he wanted. He had only continued out of loyalty for Cobb and a lack of better occupations for his time. Legitimate jobs were tedious. He liked the distraction of a challenge; it left one less time for thought.

And lately, he didn't enjoy being left to his thoughts.

They had a tendency to turn towards a certain graduate student, and the last thing he wanted for her was the life of a criminal. Besides, she didn't care for him as anything other than a coworker, while Arthur was full-fledgedly in love with her. He admitted it, at least to himself. He wasn't sure how it happened. He realized it at a rather terrible time; they were one level down, caught in the gunfire of hundreds of militarized projections, with the newly acquired knowledge that if they died, they could be stuck in Limbo until they lost their minds. This had terrified him, but to his surprise, it wasn't his own welfare he was worried about. His little crush on the peculiar architect had somehow morphed into love during the weeks they had plotted together.

He did miss her. He missed the surprised look on her face she invariably had when waking to find him checking her vitals after a run in the dream world. He missed shaking her gently to consciousness and driving her home when she fell asleep on her desk for the fourth time that night. He missed her endless questions––about building in the dream world, about his job as the Point Man, about Cobb's insane life. He missed her, but he knew better than to go see her.

Today he was drowning out his loneliness in a local, if somewhat shady, bar. He wasn't much of a drinker in normal circumstances, but today he was having an especially hard time forgetting the way she looked at him as he glanced at her on the way out of the airport. He had just ordered a drink when he overheard a hushed conversation coming from a booth behind him.

"-even better than Cobb, and younger too."

Arthur's ears perked up, a feeling of dread pooling in his chest. He casually moved closer to their booth in order to hear better.

"And her first job was an inception?"

"Yes. I heard that she saved the whole operation when a complication came up."

Damn Eames. He's the only one who would give out details of a job so flippantly.

"See if you can get her. I don't care how much she costs."

"As far as I know, she's completely unsupervised. Her team just left her alone after their last job. If I were them, I would hold onto her forever. We could probably just grab her up, no cost."

"Then give it up. I doubt we're the only ones looking for someone like her. We're probably too late already."

It only took Arthur five minutes to get back to his apartment, pull out his laptop, and book a seat on the next flight for Paris.


	5. Chapter 4

Ariadne was busy in her room in her apartment––studying on her bed in her PJ's––when she heard a sharp rap on the door. From her vantage point on her bed, she could see the entryway but could not see the door. Too absorbed in the minor issue of how to create Penrose steps on a circular starcase to get up and answer it straightaway, Ariadne sat for a moment, collecting her thoughts. In the meantime, her roommate Deirdre set down her skillet in the kitchen, wiped her hands on a hand towel, and headed for the door mumbling to herself as a second knock came.

"Mon Dieu. Coming, coming..."

Ariadne watched Didi's profile as she pulled the door open. What she saw reflected in her friend's face and posture was surprising. Deirdre looked taken aback, and Deirdre was never taken aback. Her eyes slid up and down the figure waiting at the door, two, three times; whoever they were, they must have been strikingly attractive. Did Ariadne mention that Deirdre was a petite, blonde, and all-around gorgeous french girl? Didi seemed to collect herself and greeted the caller.

"Bonjour, monsieur. Avez-vous besoin de quelque chose?" ("Hello. Do you need something?")

The answering voice nearly stopped Ariadne's heart.

"Bonjour. Savez-vous si Ariadne est ici?" ("Do you know if Ariadne is here?")

Oh mercy. Was that Arthur's voice speaking french so alluringly?

"Oh, oui." The girl turned her head and called for Ariadne before turning back to face him, switching to English. Meanwhile, Ariadne leapt off her bed, raced to her closet, and tried to find something presentable to wear. She quickly settled on her favorite pair of low-riding skinny jeans and a sharp white blouse. Glancing in a mirror, she quickly touched up her make-up and pulled her hair up into an untidy ponytail. She'd cut it shorter and changed her bangs since the inception and had started wearing it straighter, but right now it was somewhat of a mess. Oh well. She'd just pretend that it was sexy that way.

Focusing back on the doorway.

"I see from your accent zat you are American. 'Ow do you know Ariadne?" she heard Deirdre ask.

"We've worked together," the cool voice that was Arthur replied.

Taking a deep breath and leaving the refuge of her bedroom, Ariadne pretended not to have recognized already him by his voice. It seemed easier.

"Who is it?" she inquired of her roommate.

"Eet's a man." Ariadne didn't miss the inflection in the girl's voice when she added, "One of your colleagues."

Ariadne appeared at the doorway and sucked in a breath at the sudden sight of the person she'd been trying very, very hard not to miss for the last few months. After staring at him for a moment she turned away to address her roommate, trying not to notice Arthur's eyes on her. His intense gaze made her a bit restless.

"Thank you, Deirdre," she dismissed. Deirdre looked Arthur over once more, gave Ariadne a disappointed glance, and stalked to her own room. Ariadne waited until she heard the bedroom door click shut before turning back to the intriguing man at her door.

Ariadne couldn't hold back the grin that slipped onto her face as she took in the immaculate perfection standing before her. He looked exactly like he always did, three piece designer suit and all. And although he didn't grin back as widely, he gave her a small reassuring smile, which prompted her take a step forward and pull him tight into the hug that she'd been retaining since she heard his voice. He held stiff for a moment, before wrapping his arms gently around her waist and returning the embrace.

It felt wonderful to have him this close again. Ariadne let her eyes close for a moment, absorbing his presence, before stepping out of his arms and getting to business. What should she say to someone she felt very close to, but didn't truly know all that well and hadn't seen in months?

"Hello Arthur," she said. "Would you like to come in?"

Ariadne had no idea what he was doing here, but seeing him again filled her with a strange sense of relief, like coming home from a long, tiresome trip.

"Yes, if you don't mind." Arthur replied in a soft tone reserved only for her and stepped inside the small apartment, his keen eyes holding onto details the way they always did when he was entering a new area.

She had forgotten the way his voice sometimes gave her the shivers. She watched his lean form focus back to her as he seemed to decide that the room held no imminent danger.

"So, what are you doing here? I take it you're not here just on business; you would have called."

Arthur contemplated for a moment, perhaps chewing on his words, which was unusual for him. Normally, he would know exactly what to say in every situation. Then he cut to the chase.

"I was worried. I am worried," he stated plainly, taking a step nearer.

That surprised her. Arthur, worried. Those two things didn't quite fit. She stared into his deep brown eyes as she replied,

"There's no reason for you to be worried. I'm fine, as you can see."

"There's good reason to be worried." Watching her face carefully, he added, "Word of our last job has spread rather quickly. Your work in particular."

He stepped even closer with those words, and Ariadne was suddenly aware of how very close he was standing. It was rather warm. It occurred to her that if she leaned forward onto her toes, she could probably plant a kiss on his chin. Oh, right. He was waiting for an answer.

"O-kay. So what do we do?"

Arthur was about to answer when a soft squeal of hinges came from Deirdre's bedroom door, cracking it open the tiniest bit. They both looked over and a shadow was visible blocking the light streaming from under it. Arthur dropped his volume to a quiet hush, his low voice rolling from his throat.

"I'll meet your downstairs in forty minutes. We'll find somewhere more private to talk," he whispered in her ear. And with that, he strode out of the apartment, leaving her somewhat in shock over the whole episode.

* * *

Authors note:

Hello there. This is my first author's note, like, ever. It occurred because I have a question for you, my reader: What do you think Arthur's surname should be? Obviously, it has to be dashing and unique. And while we're at it, what do you think Ariadne's surname should be? If you have an opinion on that, go on my profile page and take my super-excellent poll.

I promise I have not abandoned my story, nor will I. I'm simply writing it out of order. It makes it difficult to post in a timely manner.

Also, leave a review if you love me! Even if it's only a tiny, tiny bit of love.

Sincerly,

theYellowDello.


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